NEWS

TOYOTA has launched a high profile 8-step CO2 reduction plan for all its UK car dealers to follow. The firm says it could cut CO2 emissions from each Toyota and Lexus dealer by 15 percent a year. Praise for the 8-step Environmental Plan scheme has already been won from the Carbon Trust, following a 16-dealer [...]

NISSAN has announced order books for the LEAF electric car will open in a month’s time in the UK. The dramatic announcement for the electric car means the first genuine zero-emissions battery electric car will soon be a car dealer reality. Prices start from £23,990. This includes the battery, and includes the January 2011 20 [...]

ELECTRIC car sales WILL be incentivised from January 2011 with the confirmation of the key £5k grant. Transport secretary Philip Hammond has just given the OK to the government grant at SMMT HQ in London. ‘Great news for industry,’ said the SMMT’s Paul Everitt, ‘and a significant commitment by the new government to create UK [...]

VOLVO wants to see car emissions explained in broader detail to more truthfully show a car’s eco impact. The firm says simply considering CO2 emissions in isolation is too restrictive. Instead, other car exhaust pollutants such as NOx, Hydrocarbons and Particulates should be put on new car labels too – which will help the UK [...]

TOYOTA has underlined its current dominance of the hybrid car market by hitting a Prius sales landmark. Sales have just topped the 200,000 mark across Europe, a decade after the petrol-electric motor went on sale. It’s an impressive figure; the 100,000 mark was only reached in 2008! It’s doing even better globally, too: worldwide sales [...]

GREEN car gains in the short and medium term will mainly be driven by current engine tech say experts. Dave Greenwood, project director at Ricardo UK, said it would be several decades before EV and fuel cell technology made significant impacts on overall transport CO2 emissions. ’90 percent of the CO2 reduction in the next [...]

VINCE Cable has told the UK automotive industry that it is the ‘hinge’ to economic strength in the country. But the industry should not expect a continuation of short-term subsidies such as scrappage. Addressing delegates at the SMMT International Automotive Summit, he said ‘it is becoming clear Government success depends on the automotive industry.’ It [...]

UK motorists will play a key role in the electric car future as makers say our market has the most potential in Europe. Various Government incentives have already created a fertile environment for electric cars, and the benefits of this are starting to hit our roads. ‘The UK electric car market is going to drive [...]

SUZUKI admits its sales this year will be down around 10 percent but is still comfortable with the situation. This is because the decline is in line with that of the broader market. It means Suzuki will retain its market share position in what assistant to the MD Atsushi Niwa admits is a challenging environment. [...]

THINK EV cars are to be sold through the Migros supermarket chain in a new distribution model. Migros is a Swiss equivalent of the UK’s Co-op and has more than 600 outlets over there. A new platform, called M-Way, will both sell and distribute the zero-emissions electric vehicles in Switzerland. The model is, says THINK [...]

VAUXHALL car dealers are debuting a new efficiency check ‘ecoFLEX’ service for all Vauxhall motors. Costing £99, the green service hones in on the aspects that affect fuel economy. It includes: •    Oil and filter change •    Fuel system clean •    Air con efficiency check •    Tyre pressure check •    Brake check Even better, if [...]

MERCEDES is getting its dealers ready for future electric cars by fitting every one with a recharge point. The firm has already started rolling out the ‘Elektrobay’ recharging points, at Surrey, London, Brentford and Midlands retailers. Recharge points will be used firstly by smart ev electric drive trial drivers, but in time will be offered [...]

SMMT and RMI experts have teamed up to help car dealers navigate the maze of new CO2 emissions red tape. The government Carbon Reduction Commitment initiative went live in April and is set to affect many UK car dealers. It applies to any business using more than £500k of electricity every year, and offers financial [...]

NISSAN has announced its LEAF electric car will cost £23,350 when it goes on sale here in February 2011. The headline-grabbing price confirms Nissan’s aim to make it a mainstream offer. ‘There is not a premium for EVs,’ said Nissan’s Simon Thomas. It is way lower than the Hyundai i-MiEV (around £10k less), and comes [...]

NEW car CO2 emissions are falling faster than ever before reveals JATO in a new European report. They have fallen by nearly 20g/km since 2003, and 2009 was the single biggest yearly reduction on record. The average new car sold in Europe now emits 145.9g/km CO2. This means brands are well on target to meet [...]

LAND Rover will introduce a front-wheel drive version of the new baby Range Rover to dealers next year. The compact Range Rover LRX-inspired model will be offered in both 2WD and 4WD forms, the firm has just announced. This will cut the CO2 figures of the diesel model dramatically: Land Rover says the model will [...]

VAUXHALL has just built the first pre-production Ampera extended range EV on its assembly line in Michigan. This will help Vauxhall engineers put the finishing touches to the car for a production-ready design. The car will arrive in European markets later next year, before going on sale in the UK in 2012. ‘We’re right on [...]

RENAULT has started taking pre-reservations for the first raft of electric cars due in the UK next year. Interest in the zero-emissions vehicles can be registered at the firm’s special website. This does not fully commit customers to buying an EV when they become available. Instead, it lets early adopters get onto the priority availability [...]

ASTON Martin might be onto a winner with its controversial Cygnet city car says one industry expert. ‘The new car market is set for a size and prestige revolution,’ says Network Automotive MD Colin Bruder. ‘The MINI has paved the way for this in recent years as a mainstream hatchback that frequently carries a £20k [...]

VOLKSWAGEN’S Polo has been awarded the 2010 World Car of the Year title by 59 top car writers. The announcement has just been made at the New York International Auto Show. In seeing off 29 rivals, the Polo follows up on VW’s success in the World Car of the Year awards last year – which [...]